Minimal and Unclear Error Messages

[SAMBA8695]

Description

The compiler currently provides minimal and unclear user-facing error messages. Many errors either fail silently or print generic messages without context, which makes debugging Cow programs difficult.

Examples include:

• Missing or incorrect command-line arguments
• Syntax errors during parsing
• Undefined variables
• Invalid token sequences

The compiler often exits without indicating where or why an error occurred.

Current Behavior

• Generic messages like Include the file
• Parser returns NULL without reporting an error
• No line or column information is shown
• Undefined variables do not produce errors
• Compilation may stop silently

Example

$ ./cowc
Include the file

Expected Behavior

• Clear and user-friendly error messages
• Errors should explain what went wrong and where
• Helpful messages for:
  • Invalid syntax
  • Missing semicolons
  • Undefined identifiers
  • Invalid command-line usage
• Compiler should fail loudly and explicitly on errors

Example (desired)

error: undefined variable 'x' at line 2, column 9

Suggested Direction

• Improve CLI usage messages (e.g. show expected usage)
• Add structured error reporting in the parser
• Propagate errors instead of returning NULL
• Centralize error handling (e.g. error module)
• Prepare for future line/column tracking in lexer